What are the responsibilities and job description for the Pre-Award Manager position at Colorado State University?
Position Location
Fort Collins, CO
Work Location
Position qualifies for hybrid/in-office work
Research Professional Position
No
Posting Number
202500064AP
Position Type
Admin Professional/ Research Professional
Classification Title
Prof/Indiv Contrib II
Number of Vacancies
Work Hours/Week
40
Proposed Annual Salary Range
$70,000 - $90,000 and will be competitive and commensurate with the qualifications of the applicant.
Employee Benefits
Colorado State University is not just a workplace; it’s a thriving community that’s transforming lives and improving the human condition through world-class teaching, research, and service. With a robust benefits package, collaborative atmosphere, commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and focus on work-life balance, CSU is where you can thrive, grow, and make a lasting impact.
- Review our detailed benefits information here.
- Explore the additional perks of working at CSU here.
- For the total value of CSU benefits in addition to wages, use our compensation calculator.
Desired Start Date
Position End Date (if temporary)
To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by 11:59pm (MT) on
02/17/2025
Description of Work Unit
The Department of Clinical Sciences at Colorado State University in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (DCS) seeks a highly motivated and experienced professional to serve as a Pre-Award Manager. The selected candidate will join a highly respected team of pre-award professionals in a high-volume, fast-paced, innovative, and service-first environment.
Over the past five years, the department has seen consistent growth in both funding submissions and publications, with engagement in basic and clinical research. Although the COVID-19 pandemic caused a temporary decline in 2020, faculty have since regained momentum, leading to a significant increase in awarded grants. Funding comes from both internal and external sources, including the College Research Council, Companion Animal Center, Morris Animal Foundation, EveryCat Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Department of Defense (DoD) sponsors, National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsors and National institute of Health (NIH) sponsors, and through partnerships with other organizations and industry sponsors. Faculty also participate in and receive funding from the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute at the Anschutz Medical Campus. In 2023, the department reported $8.3 million in research expenditures.
The department provides comprehensive support for researchers throughout the pre- and post-award processes. Early-career faculty receive mentorship for grant review and study guidance, and cost-sharing opportunities are available. The department also supports the Clinical Review Board, which collaborates with the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee to facilitate the review and approval of clinical trials. Several department units, centers, and teams are research focused. These include the Pre-Clinical Surgical Research Laboratory, Flint Animal Cancer Center, Center for Immune and Regenerative Medicine, Cardiovascular Research Center, Musculoskeletal Research Program, Center for Companion Animal Studies, Laboratory for Immunotherapy, Orthopedic Research Center, and Translational Medicine Institute.
Position Summary
The Department of Clinical Sciences (DCS) at Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (CVMBS) seeks a full-time, highly motivated, and experienced professional to serve as a Pre-Award Manager. This role is a crucial part of the Department Office Business Team and is responsible for coordinating and facilitating pre-award activities across the Department of Clinical Sciences.
The Pre-Award Manager will work closely with faculty, departmental leadership, and internal and external stakeholders to support the development of sponsored research. This includes providing expert guidance to faculty on proposal development, budget creation, and grant submission processes, ensuring that all applications meet university policies, sponsor guidelines, and compliance requirements.
Key responsibilities include:
- Faculty Collaboration: Serve as a primary point of contact for faculty members on pre-award matters, offering assistance and mentorship throughout the proposal lifecycle. This includes coordinating with faculty to identify research funding opportunities, interpreting sponsor requirements, and helping tailor applications to specific calls.
- Proposal Preparation: The Pre-Award Manager will lead grant proposal preparation, ensuring all required documents are accurate, complete, and aligned with submission guidelines. Responsibilities include budget development, cost justification, and preparation of supporting materials. This role demands teamwork, strong organizational skills, collaboration, and a commitment to customer service, as well as expertise in reviewing research grants and agreements for compliance with federal, state, and university regulations.
- Internal Communication: Facilitate communication between faculty, departmental units, and central administrative offices, ensuring alignment with university resources and processes. Actively engage with faculty to stay informed of their research goals and needs, ensuring that pre-award services are responsive and supportive.
- Compliance and Policy Adherence: Oversee adherence to both internal and external compliance requirements, including federal, state, and institutional policies. This includes ensuring all applications meet ethical and regulatory standards and maintaining thorough documentation for each proposal.
- Training and Development: Conduct workshops and informational sessions for faculty and staff on topics such as grant writing, budget development, and compliance. Act as a resource to improve the overall effectiveness of the department’s research initiatives.
- Relationship Building with Critical Partners and Stake Holders: A key responsibility of the Pre-Award Manager is collaborating closely with the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (CVMBS) and Colorado State University (CSU) Research teams to ensure alignment between the Department of Clinical Sciences (DCS) and the broader college and university research initiatives. This collaboration is essential for maintaining compliance with CSU policies and critical research guidelines while applying research best practices to all DCS proposal submissions and awarded grants. By partnering with the CVMBS and CSU Research teams, the Pre-Award Manager fosters consistency, transparency, and accountability in proposal development, budget creation, and grant submission processes, ensuring that Pre-Award activities support both departmental objectives and university-wide priorities.
The Pre-Award Manager will report to the Department Business Officer and collaborate closely with the leadership to ensure the strategic alignment of research initiatives with the department’s mission. This position requires excellent organizational, communication, and analytical skills to manage multiple concurrent projects while building strong relationships across the department and university.
This position is expected to work in-person, although a hybrid schedule can be negotiated after an initial training period.
Required Job Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting business, project management or a closely related field and
- Minimum of 3 years effective work-related grants and contracts management experience.
- Minimum of 3 years of direct supervisory experience in finance, accounting, business, project management or a closely related field, demonstrating strong leadership, communication, problem-solving skills, and the ability to manage teams effectively.
- Demonstrates excellent organizational skills and attention to detail, ensuring accurate and thorough work in a fast-paced, shifting environment.
- Strong communication and interpersonal abilities, marked by empathy and cultural awareness, building effective relationships across diverse backgrounds.
- Proficient problem-solver, managing multiple tasks under tight deadlines while using sound judgment to analyze and address issues effectively.
- Resourceful, adaptable, and resilient, navigating complexity, ambiguity, and changing conditions with a positive attitude.
- Effective leader, motivating and challenging others, while holding self and team accountable to high standards, ethics, and compliance.
- Builds and fosters strong collaborative relationships with department and college teams, as well as external partners and stakeholders, to align efforts, share resources, and ensure program goals and project success. Actively engages in open communication, mutual problem-solving, and coordinated decision-making to strengthen partnerships and drive initiatives forward effectively.
- Shows initiative and commitment to completing tasks, with proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and essential project management tools.
Preferred Job Qualifications
- Preference will be given for proposal submission experience with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Department of Defense (DoD) sponsors, National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsors and National institute of Health (NIH) sponsors.
- Familiarity with higher education accounting practices and/or budgeting.
- Experience with veterinary research environment
Diversity Statement
Personal or professional commitment to diversity and inclusion as demonstrated by persistent effort, active planning, allocation of resources and/or accountability for diversity and inclusion outcomes.
Essential Duties
Job Duty Category
Research Pre-Award Management
Duty/Responsibility
- Allocates and balances workloads and ensures quality of work for a team of two Pre-Award Coordinators and self, when applicable.
- Provides quality review and compliance approval for all proposals.
- Demonstrates mastery of proposal submission requirements for standard federal, Commonwealth and industry proposals and a depth of experience with key DCS sponsors (i.e., USDA, NSF, NIH, and DoD).
- Demonstrates extensive knowledge of federal grant policy, the Uniform Guidance, CVMBS and Colorado State University research policies, processes, and practices and provides accurate guidance to faculty and staff based on that knowledge.
- Responds to faculty and staff questions and resolve issues that arise during proposal development. Interprets solicitation requirements and offers context and insight, citing policy and procedures based on experience.
- Communicates with internal partners to clarify solicitation requirements and resolve issues.
- Develops and implements processes that ensure timely, accurate, and compliant proposal submissions. Expands knowledge of best practices, incorporates it into work assignments, and prioritizes customer service and collaboration across DCS units and institutes.
- Serves as a liaison between DCS faculty and administrative staff, CVMBS Research Administration team, CSU Office of Sponsored Programs, and other administrative units across the University supporting DCS research.
- Collaborates closely with the Department post-award team on the development and management of complex budgets, ensuring seamless transition and continuity from pre-award to post-award processes once a grant is awarded. This includes providing comprehensive budget documentation, addressing any discrepancies or clarifications, and facilitating a smooth handoff of project information to ensure compliance with sponsor requirements, university policies, and financial guidelines. Additionally, supports the post-award team in navigating unique or challenging aspects of the award to promote efficient project setup, monitoring, and reporting throughout the grant lifecycle.
Percentage Of Time
75
Job Duty Category
Supervising
Duty/Responsibility
- Oversight of two, full-time Research Proposal Coordinator positions, including recruiting, hiring, training, coaching, supervising, and providing feedback to Department leadership.
- Complete and present annual planning and evaluation for direct report(s). Make recommendations for salary increases, promotions, etc. to Leadership.
- Encourage growth opportunities, address areas for improvement, provide guidance and support.
- Train and support Research Proposal Coordinator positions regarding pre-award operations and transactions.
Percentage Of Time
25
Application Details
Special Instructions to Applicants
This position will remain open until filled. To ensure full consideration, please apply by 2/17/2025. Interested applicants must submit a cover letter which addresses how professional experiences align with identified required and preferred qualifications of the position, a current resume, and the names, e-mail addresses, and telephone numbers of three (3) professional references by full consideration date of February 17, 2025. References will not be contacted without prior notification of candidates.
CSU is committed to full inclusion of qualified individuals. If you are needing assistance or accommodations with the search process or if you have questions, please contact Samantha Garcia samantha.garcia@colostate.edu
Please note, applicants may redact information from their application materials that identifies their age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution.
Conditions of Employment
Pre-employment Criminal Background Check (required for new hires)
Search Contact
Samantha Garcia, samantha.garcia@colostate.edu
EEO Statement
Colorado State University is committed to providing an environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based on race, age, creed, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, or pregnancy in its employment, programs, services and activities, and admissions, and, in certain circumstances, marriage to a co-worker. The University will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. Colorado State University is an equal opportunity and equal access institution and affirmative action employer fully committed to achieving a diverse workforce and complies with all Federal and Colorado State laws, regulations, and executive orders regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action. The Office of Equal Opportunity is located in 101 Student Services.
The Title IX Coordinator is the Director of the Office of Title IX Programs and Gender Equity, 123 Student Services Building, Fort Collins, CO 80523-0160, (970) 491-1715, titleix@colostate.edu.
The Section 504 and ADA Coordinator is the Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity, 101 Student Services Building, Fort Collins, CO 80523-0160, (970) 491-5836, oeo@colostate.edu.
The Coordinator for any other forms of misconduct prohibited by the University’s Policy on Discrimination and Harassment is the Vice President for Equity, Equal Opportunity and Title IX, 101 Student Services Building, Fort Collins, Co. 80523-0160, (970) 491-5836, oeo@colostate.edu.
Any person may report sex discrimination under Title IX to the Office of Civil Rights, Department of Education.
The Title IX Coordinator is the Director of the Office of Title IX Programs and Gender Equity, 123 Student Services Building, Fort Collins, CO 80523-0160, (970) 491-1715, titleix@colostate.edu.
The Section 504 and ADA Coordinator is the Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity, 101 Student Services Building, Fort Collins, CO 80523-0160, (970) 491-5836, oeo@colostate.edu.
The Coordinator for any other forms of misconduct prohibited by the University’s Policy on Discrimination and Harassment is the Vice President for Equity, Equal Opportunity and Title IX, 101 Student Services Building, Fort Collins, Co. 80523-0160, (970) 491-5836, oeo@colostate.edu.
Any person may report sex discrimination under Title IX to the Office of Civil Rights, Department of Education.
Background Check Policy Statement
Colorado State University strives to provide a safe study, work, and living environment for its faculty, staff, volunteers and students. To support this environment and comply with applicable laws and regulations, CSU conducts background checks for the finalist before a final offer. The type of background check conducted varies by position and can include, but is not limited to, criminal history, sex offender registry, motor vehicle history, financial history, and/or education verification. Background checks will also be conducted when required by law or contract and when, in the discretion of the University, it is reasonable and prudent to do so.
Salary : $70,000 - $90,000
